2009-04-29 22:32:03 -

The U.S. Small Business Administration announces that certain Private Non-Profit Organizations (PNPs) that do not provide critical services of a governmental nature may be eligible to apply for low interest rate disaster loans. These loans are available as a result of a Presidential Disaster declaration for Public Assistance resulting from damages caused by severe storms, flooding and tornadoes that occurred from March 25 - April 3, 2009.

PNPs located in the following counties are eligible to apply to SBA.

Baldwin, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lamar, Marengo, Perry, Russell, Washington, and Wilcox counties in the State of Alabama.

Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless

shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

PNP organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. The SBA also offers mitigation fund to disaster victims based on 20 percent of the verified physical damage. These funds are designed to help borrowers pay for protective measures to minimize damages of the same kind in the future.

The SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs, such as ongoing operating expenses to PNP organizations of all sizes. Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage.

Interest rates are as low as 4 percent with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

“PNP organizations are urged to contact their County Emergency Managers to obtain information about local briefings. At the meeting, PNP representatives will need to provide information about their organization,” said Frank Skaggs, Director of SBA Field Operations Center East.

This information will be used to submit a “Request for Public Assistance” which FEMA uses to determine if the PNP provides an essential governmental service and meets the definition of a “critical facility”. Based on that conclusion, FEMA will either refer the PNP to SBA for disaster loan assistance or possibly provide a “Public Assistance” reimbursement grant for eligible costs.

Disaster loan information and application forms may be obtained by calling the SBA’s Disaster Assistance Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (for the hearing-impaired 1-800-877-8339) Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EDT, or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov : mailto:disastercustomerservice@sba.gov .
Applications can also be downloaded from www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance : .

Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Those affected by the disaster may apply for disaster loans from SBA’s secure website at disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ : .

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is June 29, 2009. The deadline to return economic injury applications is January 28, 2010.

For more information about the SBA’s Disaster Loan Programs, visit our website at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance : .


Release Number: 09-375, AL 11730/11731


U.S. Small Business AdministrationMichael Lampton,

404-331-0333